Oil cleanup near completion, BP officials say

Published: Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:11 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 10:11 p.m.

More than three years after the Deepwater Horizon spill, much of the oil has been cleaned up, a BP spokesman said.

“We drilled approximately 16,000 auger holes and found that only 3 percent of the sites contained oiling levels that required cleanup, and 86 percent had no oil at all,” said BP spokesman Jason Ryan said.

Crews are patrolling and performing maintenance on 76 of the 3,192 shoreline miles in the area of response, Ryan said. Another 20 miles are pending approval or completion of the inspection process.

Nearly 34,000 holes and pits have been dug in search of debris across more than 32 million square feet of segments that include Fourchon Beach, Elmer's Island and Grand Isle.

About 2.9 million pounds of material has been collected, but the majority of it is sand, shells and water — not oil, Ryan said.

“This comprehensive effort gives us confidence that we have removed substantially all the material that is feasible to recover and are moving closer to completing cleanup activities,” Ryan said.

Public beaches, such as the ones in Fourchon and Grand Isle, have always been a focus, said Michael Anderson, U.S. Coast Guard public information officer. But the Coast Guard is checking for any place that needs cleanup.

Some tar balls have been found just off the shore of West Timbaliar Island and a sizeable oil mat was removed from Grand Terre Island, Anderson said.

“Nothing is really that much different in terms of cleanup. We've got our teams, shoreline cleanup and assessment teams, looking at the beaches. If there are spots that need to be cleaned up then we clean those,” Anderson said.

No timetable has been set on when the response work will be completed, Anderson said.

The work on the beaches is ongoing but has slowed down because endangered species nest this time of year along some beaches on the barrier islands. Cleanup efforts are halted in those locations.

Nesting season closed at the end of August and work is expected to resume shortly in all areas.

But the cleanup hasn't taken place without controversy.

The work has had a negative impact on some beach areas, said Amanda Phillips, secretary-treasurer of the Edward Wisner Donation, which owns about 9.5 miles of beach at Fourchon.

“When they came out to clean the beaches, they disturbed the alluvial clay, and it has undermined the integrity of the beach in some areas,” Phillips said.

Fourchon Beach is also one of the fastest-eroding points on earth, losing 40 to 50 feet of beach each year, Phillips said.

“In our opinion (cleanup work) has accelerated the erosion,” she said. “Storm events, like Hurricane Katrina, can accelerate, but the response work has exacerbated it as well.”

How cleanup work will affect the environment is a major factor in the decision-making process, Anderson said.

Environmental effects “are something we are looking at. We're reaching a point where our cleanups may negatively impact the shoreline. We take that into consideration,” Anderson said.

State officials have expressed concern about oil resurfacing in storms.

Most public beaches are improving, Anderson said, but that can change by the day.

“It's been ongoing for three years. It slows down. But after a storm event, more is uncovered. The beach changes hourly with the tide. Things that are buried today will be uncovered at some point in the future,” Phillips said.

Some state officials, including Gov. Bobby Jindal and Garret Graves, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority chairman, have remained critical of BP and the Coast Guard.

Graves has insinuated that the Coast Guard is taking orders from BP, but Anderson said that is not true.

“We're doing what we're mandated to by federal law. That's who we answer to,” Anderson said.

Jindal said BP has focused too much on its image and needs to turn its attention to the real problems.

“BP needs to stop spending hundreds of millions of dollars on their public relations campaign telling us how great they are and start proving it by addressing their Clean Water Act and Natural Resources Damage liabilities now,” Jindal recently said. “While Transocean has stepped up to the plate and paid much of their liability, BP has not.”

BP Vice President Geoff Morrell disputed Jindal's complaints.

“Any suggestion that BP has failed to address the cleanup of the Louisiana coastline is both false and irresponsible. The facts, however, are irrefutable, and our progress in Louisiana has been significant,” Morrell said. “Overall to date, we have spent $26 billion on response, cleanup and claims. Repeated assertions that we have spent more money on advertising than this are grossly in error and seem purposefully intended to mislead the public.”

Staff Writer Jacob Batte can be reached at 448-7635 or jacob.batte@dailycomet.com.

<p>More than three years after the Deepwater Horizon spill, much of the oil has been cleaned up, a BP spokesman said.</p><p>“We drilled approximately 16,000 auger holes and found that only 3 percent of the sites contained oiling levels that required cleanup, and 86 percent had no oil at all,” said BP spokesman Jason Ryan said. </p><p>Crews are patrolling and performing maintenance on 76 of the 3,192 shoreline miles in the area of response, Ryan said. Another 20 miles are pending approval or completion of the inspection process. </p><p>Nearly 34,000 holes and pits have been dug in search of debris across more than 32 million square feet of segments that include Fourchon Beach, Elmer's Island and Grand Isle. </p><p>About 2.9 million pounds of material has been collected, but the majority of it is sand, shells and water — not oil, Ryan said.</p><p>“This comprehensive effort gives us confidence that we have removed substantially all the material that is feasible to recover and are moving closer to completing cleanup activities,” Ryan said.</p><p>Public beaches, such as the ones in Fourchon and Grand Isle, have always been a focus, said Michael Anderson, U.S. Coast Guard public information officer. But the Coast Guard is checking for any place that needs cleanup. </p><p>Some tar balls have been found just off the shore of West Timbaliar Island and a sizeable oil mat was removed from Grand Terre Island, Anderson said. </p><p>“Nothing is really that much different in terms of cleanup. We've got our teams, shoreline cleanup and assessment teams, looking at the beaches. If there are spots that need to be cleaned up then we clean those,” Anderson said. </p><p>No timetable has been set on when the response work will be completed, Anderson said. </p><p>The work on the beaches is ongoing but has slowed down because endangered species nest this time of year along some beaches on the barrier islands. Cleanup efforts are halted in those locations. </p><p>Nesting season closed at the end of August and work is expected to resume shortly in all areas. </p><p>But the cleanup hasn't taken place without controversy.</p><p>The work has had a negative impact on some beach areas, said Amanda Phillips, secretary-treasurer of the Edward Wisner Donation, which owns about 9.5 miles of beach at Fourchon. </p><p>“When they came out to clean the beaches, they disturbed the alluvial clay, and it has undermined the integrity of the beach in some areas,” Phillips said. </p><p>Fourchon Beach is also one of the fastest-eroding points on earth, losing 40 to 50 feet of beach each year, Phillips said. </p><p>“In our opinion (cleanup work) has accelerated the erosion,” she said. “Storm events, like Hurricane Katrina, can accelerate, but the response work has exacerbated it as well.” </p><p>How cleanup work will affect the environment is a major factor in the decision-making process, Anderson said. </p><p>Environmental effects “are something we are looking at. We're reaching a point where our cleanups may negatively impact the shoreline. We take that into consideration,” Anderson said. </p><p>State officials have expressed concern about oil resurfacing in storms. </p><p>Most public beaches are improving, Anderson said, but that can change by the day. </p><p>“It's been ongoing for three years. It slows down. But after a storm event, more is uncovered. The beach changes hourly with the tide. Things that are buried today will be uncovered at some point in the future,” Phillips said. </p><p>Some state officials, including Gov. Bobby Jindal and Garret Graves, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority chairman, have remained critical of BP and the Coast Guard. </p><p>Graves has insinuated that the Coast Guard is taking orders from BP, but Anderson said that is not true. </p><p>“We're doing what we're mandated to by federal law. That's who we answer to,” Anderson said. </p><p>Jindal said BP has focused too much on its image and needs to turn its attention to the real problems.</p><p>“BP needs to stop spending hundreds of millions of dollars on their public relations campaign telling us how great they are and start proving it by addressing their Clean Water Act and Natural Resources Damage liabilities now,” Jindal recently said. “While Transocean has stepped up to the plate and paid much of their liability, BP has not.”</p><p>BP Vice President Geoff Morrell disputed Jindal's complaints.</p><p>“Any suggestion that BP has failed to address the cleanup of the Louisiana coastline is both false and irresponsible. The facts, however, are irrefutable, and our progress in Louisiana has been significant,” Morrell said. “Overall to date, we have spent $26 billion on response, cleanup and claims. Repeated assertions that we have spent more money on advertising than this are grossly in error and seem purposefully intended to mislead the public.”</p><p>Staff Writer Jacob Batte can be reached at 448-7635 or jacob.batte@dailycomet.com.</p>